Essays

Millenniumdrukte en de symboolwaarde van het eeuwjaar 1900 in André Gides Le Prométhée mal enchaïné (1899)

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Abstract

The coming of a new century and, moreover, of a millennium causes a lot of excitement, both positive and negative. In his delightful little tale Le Prométhée mal enchainé (1899) André Gide anticipated that the symbolical dawn of the twentieth century would throw an intricate web of contemporary doubts into bold relief- at least according to our ‘modernist’ interpretation of his sotie. This interpretation will enable us to clarify Gide’s imaginative ‘recycling’ of ancient mythological or literary characters such as Prometheus, Damocles, Horatius Codes and Tityrus. Our semiotical reading will show that Gide’s mixing of Greek and Roman characters with 'modem' elements serves two closely related purposes : a qualified highlighting of the modernist doubts as well as an unsteady supporting of a distorted plot line.

How to Cite:

De Groote, P., (1999) “Millenniumdrukte en de symboolwaarde van het eeuwjaar 1900 in André Gides Le Prométhée mal enchaïné (1899)”, Tetradio 8(1): 11, 179–204. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tetradio.91942